Elderly and physically infirm people often have difficulty sitting a and rising from chairs or other related user support furniture without in assistance. Many such individuals could sit or arise without assistance if they could use their arm strength to supplement their legs. However, many chairs or related user support furniture do not have armrests or handholds that can be readily used for such purposes.
A need has been recognized for apparatus that may be used by individuals to make use of arm strength for seating and rising functions. Various apparatus have been developed to this end, but have not been suited for relatively wide application for different forms of user supports. For example, many include forwardly projecting horizontal members that rest against the floor and project forwardly of the user support. Such forward projections create a trip hazard. Others are not fully adjustable to accommodate user support of different size or structure.
Thus a need has remained for an improved assist apparatus that will facilitate positioning of a chair or other seating furniture and provide hand grips that may be adjusted to a desired elevation to maximize the use of arm strength in seating and arising functions.
The present invention is intended for use in conjunction with various forms of user supports, which should be understood in a broad context to include but not be limited to arm chairs, recliners, kitchen chairs, stools, love seats, and other seating or support structures such as beds.